Wasei-eigo (和製英語, Wasei-eigoliterally "Made-in-Japan English") are Japanese pseudo-Anglicisms: English constructions not used by English native speakers, but which appear in Japanese.
A more general term for made-in-Japan foreign words is wasei-gairaigo, which usually applies to words made from European languages.
It was fun to study wasei-eigo with my older kids today to see if they could work out where they come from and if they knew the expressions we use.
For example:
フロントガラス pronounced 'furontogarasu' taken from the english words 'front' and 'glass'. To the Japanese this means the glass at the front of a car i.e. windshield.
アベック pronounced 'abekku' taken from the Fench word 'avec' meaning 'with'. To the Japanese this means a romantic couple.
And just for fun?!?!
ニューハーフ pronounced 'nyūhāfu' taken from the English words 'new' and 'half'. In Japan this refers to a man that has had a sex change!
About Me
- Rebo-chan
- I was born and raised in Burntwood, England before moving to Aberystwyth, Wales for university. I loved Wales but felt like a break from the UK and so I came to Japan to be an ALT with the JET Programme in 2005. I finished JET in July 2010 but returned to Japan just one month later because I love it that much!
No comments:
Post a Comment